Any differences between '95 and '96 my?

[kastein]

You know how much he'll love it if you buy a massive beanbag chair and shove it in the back? Just add a cargo net for a "seat belt".

 

[heyhar]

, and the mileage is somewhat higher than the overseas models, 150,000 miles seemed common whereas the Japanese ones were all under 100,000 km (65,000 miles).

Japan has a registration tax that goes up exponentially when a vehicle reaches, IIRC, the magic !00k mark. It keeps junk off their roads (it's almost mandatory to fix just about any body damage), but it keeps their domestic auto market artificially stimulated. Also, there's a strong resale market for late model, relatively low mileage autos elsewhere in eastern Asia, so there's demand to buy the cars. And, Japan isn't littered with junkyards. All of their old cars are already gone....

 

[heyhar]

Also, the pictures of the 'van' models look like a website from New Zeland. Those Down Under folks love their Diesels, too.

 

[casm]

Japan has a registration tax that goes up exponentially when a vehicle reaches, IIRC, the magic !00k mark. It keeps junk off their roads (it's almost mandatory to fix just about any body damage), but it keeps their domestic auto market artificially stimulated. Also, there's a strong resale market for late model, relatively low mileage autos elsewhere in eastern Asia, so there's demand to buy the cars. And, Japan isn't littered with junkyards. All of their old cars are already gone....

I grew up in Ireland. Starting in the late '80s and up into the late '90s, we were the third-largest consumer in the world of secondhand Japanese cars; IIRC, New Zealand and South Africa were in first and second place. The cars were typically 5-8 years old and usually in good shape. However, it wasn't uncommon to get some serious lemons in the batch - apparently it wasn't unknown for someone in Japan to take a car in good shape that was known to be going for export and swap its mechanical bits with one that had problems.

Also, the pictures of the 'van' models look like a website from New Zeland. Those Down Under folks love their Diesels, too.

Nope, that's Ireland. Snagged those photos from (IIRC) autotrader.ie when I put together the Wikipedia entry on the van model.

 

[carves]

............ Make sure you post pics and list any nifty options and features you get, most of us rarely see RHD XJs nevermind ones built for the export market :roll:

Nifty Options ?? ..... :shocked:

You mean like the tranny oil heat exchanger in the wrong end of the radiator .... or the coolant flowing 2/3 of the way across the radiator before the clutchfan has any effect ??? ..... :laugh:


Or just the steering wheel in the wrong place ??? .....


LHD/RHD appear to be fairly similiar apart from the nescessary differences. Some components are relocated about the engine bay.

RHD exports all got those infernal immobiliser systems AFAIK ... and in the post 97s - the little 2.5 turbo diesel was probably the main "option".

Theres a few of us poking about who could probably post pics/pic links of anything you were especially interested in. :cheers:

 

[The Adam Blaster]

It's kind of funny because when I saw my first RHD XJ for sale online I immediately thought of Australian models. I've been to Aus. twice in my life and i remember seeing a few Xj's on both trips.

Carves, what are the diesel engines like that come in the XJ's?
I know there was a diesel option for a few years in Canadian Jeeps, but they were apparently not that great in terms of power or reliability...

 

[casm]

Carves, what are the diesel engines like that come in the XJ's?

I'm not carves, but I play him on TV. Diesels in XJs:

North America, 1985-1988: Renault 2.1TD. Good engine, but the XJ was entirely the wrong application for it. The only other vehicle in this part of the world to use that engine in any significant numbers was the Winnebago LeSharo / Itasca Phasar motorhome. Yes, you can still get parts for it, but they're priced accordingly. Was used for a few years in some European countries. May have been an option slightly longer in Canada.

Europe and the rest of the world, 1995-ish to 2001: VM Motori 2.5TD. Not a bad engine, but prone to head gasket failure due to too-small radiator and people not letting the turbo spin down before switching off. First XJ I ever drove had this and a 5-speed in it; was a good combination. Never offered in North America.

I know there was a diesel option for a few years in Canadian Jeeps, but they were apparently not that great in terms of power or reliability...

The problem wasn't so much that that specific engine was unreliable as that it just wasn't suited to the XJ; I can remember that same engine powering legions of Renault Extra and Trafic vans in Europe, and they were considered to be fairly durable in those vehicles. FWIW, no diesel engine in that class was particularly powerful at the time - the technology just wasn't there to extract the power levels they make today, but in its time it was considered to be one of the better small diesels.

In any event, toss Renault bailing from the US market in 1988 into the mix, and it's not surprising that very few have survived. They do periodically pop up on eBay, but, quite honestly, unless it's super clean and you want it as a timewarp example of the fact that they really did once make a diesel XJ for the US market, I'd pass. MJs got them as well; a couple of people here have them.

 

[lowicz96]

Ive had a 96 XJ and now drive a 95. The small differences have been listed and personally i liked my 96 alot because it was fully loaded. I got rid of it because of rust, typical rustbelt problem, and the crappy electronic where fidgety like the windows and power locks. Found a bare bone 95 with no rust from the south and been happy since.